Pride Month is a vibrant and inclusive celebration that honors the LGBTQ+ community, their history, achievements, and ongoing struggle for equality. This annual event serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of acceptance, diversity, and love. It brings together individuals, organizations, and communities to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrate the progress made towards a more inclusive society.
Pride Month offers opportunities for those unfamiliar with the LGBTQIA+ community to utilize resources to learn and better understand LGBTQIA+ individuals and for allies to show our continued support and in the fight for justice for all.
As we celebrate Pride Month, we should remember that (in the words of an unnamed member of the LGBTQIA+ community), behind colorful Pride Month celebrations — full of bright rainbows, vibrant performances, and ostentatious floats — are many individuals who have experienced great emotional hurt, adversity, shame and in some cases, physical harm.
These individuals, and often their loved ones, have faced great adversity and find much needed validation in Pride Month celebrations. They are reminded that they are not alone, they are seen, they are resilient, and they deserve the same security and rights as those who identify as heterosexual.